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ENGINE (Applicationiied Apr. 14, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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cut/06v, 16. 6& {070 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. FETTE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent No. 626,005, dated May' 30,1899.

. Application filed April 14, 1398. Serial No; 677,561. (No model.)

T0 all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. FETTE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engines; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of engines in which a piston workingin a cylinder is acted upon by steam, gas, or fluid pressure to producemotion and power for operating machinery or for other purposes; and ithas reference particularly to the power-cylinders, the pistons, and tothe means for transmitting power to the rotatory cranks of the maindriving-shaft of such engines. It consists in useful improvements in theconstruction of the cylinder, the pistons, and in the means by which thepower is transmitted from the pistons to the driving-shaft and in theparts and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

My object is to provide an engine of improved construction which shallutilize the steam or other force to the greatest advantage, andtherefore the most economically in producing power, by employing thesteam or gas expansively to its maximum practicable limit, thuseffecting a great saving in operating expense. This object is attainedin my invention, in which the steam entering the cylinder acts upon twopistons and transmits the power to two cranks upon the same shaft,converting reciprocating into rotative motion,

My invention is, furthermore, cheaply constructed and is durable andeconomical in maintenance.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference designatethe same parts in the several views, Figure .1 represents a sideelevation of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig.2, an end elevation looking toward the cylinder; Fig. 3,

a top plan view; Fig; 4, a vertical transverse sectional view throughthe center of the cylinder Fig. 5, a vertical longitudinal sectionalview through the cylinder; Fig. 6, a side view of a piston and itsrocking armand a fragmentary portion of the cylinder in half-section,and Fig. 7 a transverse sectional view of a fragment of the cylinder.

In carrying out my invention I employ such material as may be bestsuited for the several parts, and I apply any type of valves and valvemechanism as may be desired for controlling the admission of steam orother similar force to the cylinder andreleasing it therefrom, as thevalves and their operating mechanism which are adapted for steam or gasen'- gines are applicable to my invention with slight modifications inarrangement to conform to the supply and exhaust ports of my cylinder.

The cylinder A is made in the form of an annular tube, the bore A beingpreferably circular and is continuous throughout the ring, so that apiston working therein travels in a semicircular direction about an axissituated at the center of the ringshaped cylinder. Thus the pistons havean oscillatory motion considered in connection with their connect edarms and axis. The cylinder may be made I in any suitable number ofsections for convenience in boring and otherwise finishing it, as in twoparts, asshown, and provided with flanges A, by which they are connectedby suitable bolts... At opposite points are portopenin'gs A A and h h,the first two of which may be used-both for ingress and egressof steamor gasor for ingress alone, while the two latter may be used for egress,according to the type of valve or valves used. Midway between the portsA A at'each side is an opening a in the cylinder, through which the armF or F works. A suitable main frame, as C, is preferably cast, adapt-edeither for a horizontal or for a vertical engine, andhaving suitablebearings, as G and G The cylinder is suitably secured rigidly tfothemain frame, so that the axis about which the pistons D E oscillate isparallel to the axis of the main driving-shaft B of the engine. Suitable covered openings are preferably provided at or near each port A Ato gain access to the piston-heads when adjusting the packing.

Two truncated pistons D and E are applied to a cylinder, the two beingalike and occupying in their travel the whole bore of the cylinderexcept a small clearance-space at each port-opening corresponding to thespace between a piston and a cylinder-head of the ordinary type ofstraight-bore cylinder. The length of each piston is determined by thelength of the crank on the main drivingshaft and the correspondinglength of the bore of the cylinder. Each piston has a curved bodyportion, preferably hollow, to each end of which is a packed head d,fitting the bore of the cylinder, while the body portion is somewhatsmaller. The distance between the two heads is such that each head shalltravel from the adjacent admission-port a distance equal to twice thelength of the crank on the driving-shaft.

The rocking arms F and F are alike and are securely attached to arocking shaft G or G, extending therefrom to the longitudinal center ofthe pistons, to which they are securely attached, or they may be formedintegrally with the pistons, or they may each be attached to a disk webI) or b, the latter bein g secured to the rocking shafts. Ball-bearings6 may be interposed between the disks and suitable adjusting mechanismmay be applied to the outer ends of the rocking shafts to compensate forend wear.

A rocking arm G of suitable length is firmly secured to the shaft G anda like arm G to the shaft G, each having at the free end a suitablewrist-pin f. These arms, if desired, may be situated at the inner endsof the shafts, the main shaft-cranks being adapted thereto. The shafts GG are mounted in suitable bearings, as O. In locating the positions ofthe arms G G radially on their axial shafts and'with relation to thepistons the pistons are set in mid-stroke and both arms set so as toproject from the axis in the same direction in a line drawn through thecenter of the axis and the center of the pins f, said line being at aright angle to a line drawn through the center of the pinsfand thecenter of the main driving-shaft B, the cranks I.I being at the sametime set at a right angle to the lastmentioned line, but projecting fromtheir axis in opposite directions. In these positions the length of theconnecting-rods II II is obtained. The cranks and connecting-rods are ofthe usual form of construction. A suitable balance-wheel J is secured tothe main shaft 13 and may be used as a driving-wheel. It will thus beapparent that the piston D, the arm F, the arm G and crank I move inunison, while corresponding members at the opposite side of the enginemove in unison, the arms G and G having a swinging or reciprocatingmotion in opposite directions, while the cranks I and I rotate abouttheir axis. \Vhen the crank I is at the dead-center nearest the cylinderand the crank I at the opposite dead-center, the pistons are at theirlimit of stroke, the ends u and v in Fig. 5 being adjacent at the port.

In operation let it be assumed that, as shown in Fig. 5, the ends on andn of the pistons are receding in opposite directions, steam having beenadmitted between them through the adjacent port. Thus the same forceordinarily applied to one piston and crank is here applied to twopistons and cranks. At, say, halfstroke the expansion has been doublethat of the single-piston engine, and consequently of less force againsteach piston; but this is equalized by reason of the lesser force actingupon two instead of one lever or main crank. To the mechanic, therefore,the advantages will be obvious.

In the foregoing description while I use the term cylinder as applied tothe member in which the pistons operate, because of the bore thereinbeing continuous and designed to receive but a single charge at thebeginning of each stroke of the two pistons, it may be considered as apair of curved cylinders, each having its ends connected to the other,but with a communication between the two, so that the single chargeenters both cylinders with equal force at each junction of the twocylinders. Thus the vital function of my invention lies in applying agiven force to a plurality of cranks on the same shaft through themedium of a plurality of pistons acted upon by the actuating force, assteam, whereby the power of the given quantity of steam is multiplied.In lieu of the two curved cylinders I may therefore employ twostraightbore parallel cylinders connected by a port at each end andsuitable connecting mechanism adapted to operate the cranks described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In an engine, the combination of the annular cylinder circular incross-section and having a continuous bore therethrough provided withthe two diametrically opposite apertures or armways at the innerperiphery and having the two diametrically opposite port-openingsarranged at right angles to said armways, the two truncated pistons insaid cylinder each having two packed heads, the disks mounted uponrock-shafts and centrally within the circle formed by said cylinder, thearms connecting each a disk with a piston, the ball-bearings betweensaid disks, and the rocking arms on said shafts connecting the pitmensubstantially as shown and described.

2. In an engine, the combination of the continuous annular cylinderconstructed in sections and having the oppositely-disposed armwayscommunicating therewith and the portopenings situate at right angles tosaid armways, the truncated pistons, valves and controlling mechanismfor said port-openings,

the shafts at opposite sides of said cylinder, the disks at the innerend of said shafts, the arms connecting said disks with said pistons,antifrictional ball or roller bearings between said disks, and the armsat the outer ends of i said shafts connecting the pitinen, substantiallyas shown and described.

, In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK J. FETTE Witnesses:

WM. H. PAYNE, AUGUST UHLMANN.

